TT benefits from travel exemptions for business

THE EDITOR: From the very beginning of the covid19 crisis, the Government took the time to explain that it would be providing exemptions to critical workers coming from abroad as part of the administration’s effort to ensure that there would be some measure of continuity in the manufacturing and energy sectors.

The Minister of National Security and the Minister of Finance even went so far at that time to explain that by doing so, the country could continue to count on critical revenues coming via these activities and ultimately through the taxes to be paid on the profits made by those companies.

Some may also recall (like me) that even when the stay at home order was in force, there were many industries which were identified as being too critical to stop or waylay and they were exempted, and their employees continued to report to work.

Thanks to this sense of foresight, there was a considerable mitigation of the negative impact experienced by this country die to covid19. Even our testing programme (which was initially managed out of Carpha in Jamaica) benefited directly and indirectly from these exemptions.

You may further recall, that to ensure that spaces in state quarantine facilities were reserved for locals first, companies bringing foreign workers were further asked to foot the bill and have these expat workers quarantine at private hotels and facilities. In doing so, a template was created that ultimately led to the local authorities extending similar arrangements i.e. self paid, state-supervised quarantine to returning nationals.

Given the above, it is therefore highly disingenuous of the Opposition to attempt to vilify this practice and pass it off as some new and arbitrary arrangement that has not provided considerable benefit to us all.

If faced with a choice between a complete lockdown and interruptions in basic public goods such as electricity, right thinking citizens will always side with a government which did what it had to do to keep the lights on, and the wheels of industry turning. Surely, the Opposition can look past any sense of bitterness and spite to see how the installation of a new production line could only mean good news to the labour market and to exports?

I for one, would like to take this opportunity to again thank the entire Cabinet for the brave role which they have played since the covid crisis began a year ago.

Thank you!

George Elias

Cascade